Even as midwifery grows increasingly popular nationwide, with an estimated 40,000 babies born outside hospitals last year, a handful of states remain severely restrictive of the profession. In nine states, including Illinois, Iowa and Indiana, some forms of midwifery are illegal, though not a felony. Missouri, the only state where midwives can be charged as felons, has long been the most hostile to the practice of midwifery, though hundreds of families like the Kerrs rely on an underground network ...

…well, in most states, anyway. Via Jennifer Block (author of Pushed), I see that Missouri — where certified midwives can be charged as felons for simply doing their jobs — is debating legislation that ...

Womens eNewshas the rundown on where the presidential hopefuls stand on the issue of sex education.
All of the Democratic candidates say they support comprehensive sex ed, but I’m pretty certain all have voted to fund abstinence-only — understandably so, because the funding is always bundled with other programs that Democrats support. (Hell, even Kucinich recently voted to extend abstinence-only funding through the end of the fiscal year.) Still, I’d like to see some pledges that, as president, they would do everything in their power to ensure federal funds only go to comprehensive, medically accurate sex education.
Things aren’t quite as clear-cut on the Republican side. Giuliani was OK with making condoms available to public school ...

Womens eNewshas the rundown on where the presidential hopefuls stand on the issue of sex education.
All of the Democratic candidates say they support comprehensive sex ed, but I’m pretty certain all have voted to ...

It’s no big surprise that David Horowitz of the Weekly Standard doesn’t know a thing about Women’s Studies and still feels free to pontificate about why it is akin to indoctrination, but I do find it peculiar that he is such a simple thinker as to totally neglect that every academic discipline is shaped by subjective and, very often, political forces. Does he think that economics, taught from a perspective that usually privileges capitalism and free market ideology, isn’t a touch political? Has he ever been in a psychology class to witness how certain behaviors are deemed pathological and others are categorized as sane? A totally political process, I would argue.
I do have to say that dumbos like ...

It’s no big surprise that David Horowitz of the Weekly Standard doesn’t know a thing about Women’s Studies and still feels free to pontificate about why it is akin to indoctrination, but I do find it ...

Every time I read about feminist activism in India I can’t help but start to get really excited and want to jump up and down and point and say, loooook, look what they are doing! But you can’t really help it when a group of women get together in pink saris, call themselves a gang and fight against injustices done to their communities.
Meet the Gulabi gang, via BBC.

The pink women of Banda shun political parties and NGOs because, in the words of their feisty leader, Sampat Pal Devi, “they are always looking for kickbacks when they offer to fund us”.
Two years after they gave themselves a name and an attire, the pink women have thrashed men who ...

Every time I read about feminist activism in India I can’t help but start to get really excited and want to jump up and down and point and say, loooook, look what they are doing! But you ...

You know, despite chastity whoreDawn Eden‘s anti-choice (and other) craziness I held a very teeny tiny soft spot in my heart for her because she once stood up for me during the boobie fiasco. Very stupid idea on my part–because this is beyond vile.

Jessica Valenti of Feministing asks: “How is one supposed to feel about the state of the education system when a college gives medical benefits to employee’s pets but not to same sex partners?”
Not being an animal lover, I’d have to guess the answer is about the same as I feel about the state of the legal system when the law gives the right not to have their brains ...

You know, despite chastity whoreDawn Eden‘s anti-choice (and other) craziness I held a very teeny tiny soft spot in my heart for her because she once stood up for me during the

Thomas B. Edsall at The Huffington Post has a feature up asking political movers and shakers about John Edwards’ populism. It’s a good thing that of the 14 people Edsall interviewed, zero are women–because as we all know, women have historically not given a shit about issues of inequality, economic security and good jobs. Nah, that’s for boys.
(Oh, and I’m almost certain that all those deemed shmancy enough to interview are white as well. Shocking.)

Thomas B. Edsall at The Huffington Post has a feature up asking political movers and shakers about John Edwards’ populism. It’s a good thing that of the 14 people Edsall interviewed, zero are women–because ...